Easyjet has announced its support for a green tax on air travel to replace the existing air passenger duty (APD) and believes the current APD, which it has described as “an ineffective environmental tax”, fails to recognise that some planes are more efficient than others. If the current APD was replaced, easyjet believes that a tax based on the amount of carbon dioxide produced on each flight would ensure passengers flying with them would end up paying less than they already do.
EasyJet which specialises in cheap flights, have launched a campaign for he new tax which would according to them ensure that airline have incentives to operate the most environmentally efficient aircraft. The campaign coincides with the release of plans and a detailed report on the impact of air travel. The report is called ‘towards greener skies: the surprising truth about flying and the environment’
Chief executive Andy Harrison said: “the time has come to scrap APD in its current form and replace it with a “polluter tax” that has at its heart a very simple notion – those that fly on airlines that pollute less, like easyjet, should pay less…We should all demand a more intelligent approach o flying. Politicians must incentivise consumers to take the greener option when it is available – this means banning the dirty, old aircraft from our skies; getting the right tax regime in place to reward cleaner behaviour; being realistic about the value of aviation and resisting the temptation to advocate alternatives when no such alternatives exist.”
